The Future of e-learning at the Workplace
The forced lockdown due to coronavirus has managed to do what years of technology advancement failed to do: move corporates to adopt virtual and digital learning as the primary mode of delivering skill and capability building. Even if this ongoing change reverses direction, it is obvious that the new normal would include a significant proportion of e-learning. Managers will now have to justify why a classroom intervention is even needed.
Digital learning provides many advantages, apart from convenience and reach. It helps learners transcend the barriers of time, distance and location; it also expands the size of the classroom infinitely. Just these two create significant economic advantages to adopt digital learning. Whether it is seasoned executives getting a refresher in strategy or enthusiasts learning about the latest in data analytics, e-learning can enable it.
Even though it had been considered a poor cousin of the classroom program, e-learning can be made superior to classroom training, easily replacing a live class. However, a downside I have seen is that what mostly passes off as e-learning is videos of classroom sessions, uploaded to a portal, along with a few quizzes. While educational, this format is not engaging and therefore suffers from low completion rates. Efficiently designed digital programs, on the other hand, have the potential to disrupt L&D at the workplace. Such a design would incorporate four key principles.
Firstly, content should adapt to context. Linear videos are passé. Imagine a lesson that felt like a conversation between the facilitator and the learner. We open with a situation and ask the participant for her opinion on a certain issue or check the current state of her knowledge. Depending on the response, the content that is served next varies. We explore an idea, or a case study together, and then go back to the primary content path. It is possible and it has been done. But it requires much more effort and planning, than sitting in front of a camera and recording a 30-minute monologue on a topic. We need to become learning facilitators, not “teachers.”
Second, we can build content in various forms, to cater to multiple learning styles. Interactive videos, written notes, simulations, discussion boards, and contests/challenges are some of the methods. While these are also possible in the classroom, the limitations of time and often, logistics challenges, prevent these methods from being used effectively. Further, not all instructors are familiar with the design and delivery of such methods. On the other hand, for digital platforms, different faculty members (or professional partners) could collaborate to create the required variety of content.
Third, individual tracking and reporting can be used to ensure that each individual participant completes the learning journey. Through appropriate nudges and personalized notifications, we convert the class into a personal tutoring environment. Our goal is not to pass some and fail others, it is to ensure that everyone learns. Therefore, periodic and repeated assessments of various forms (recall and application) should be offered through the program.
Finally, learning providers need to learn from previous experiences. We must regularly monitor the progress of participants in their digital journeys, identifying enablers and de-railers. For instance, which concept or topic seems to have the highest ‘failure’ or drop-out rate; what can we do to improve the content? And instead of using assessments to classify students as A, B or C, should we not classify the content into various degrees of complexity?
In conclusion, even though we are being forced into experimentation, I firmly believe that the shift to digital learning brings convenience, scale, personalization, and measurability, without adding any significant costs. The time for e-learning in the workplace has now arrived.
